Red Bull to protest HRT

Red Bull Racing team owner Roland Dane will lodge an official protest if James Courtney is elevated into the ARMOR ALL Top 10 Shootout.

The 11th fastest Courtney/Greg Murphy Holden Racing Team Commodore VF would replace the other HRT Commodore of Garth Tander/Warren Luff after it crashed and was withdrawn from the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 this morning.

Dane say elevating 22 into the shootout breaches V8 Supercars rules and has advised category officialdom of his opposition to the move.

He says he will file and official protest if 22 takes part in the shootout.

"We have alerted them (V8 Supercars) that we will protest if it (car 22) runs," he said.

Red Bull is in a race against time to get Craig Lowndes' Commodore repaired in time for the shootout after it was taken out by Luff's brakeless car in the crash at turn 2 in this morning's practice session.

Dane quoted the relevant section of the rulebook in support of his opposition to the move.

"The shootout will be regarded as a qualifying session for those drivers who achieve the 10 fastest time in qualifying," he read.

"He (Courtney) didn't he's not eligible," Dane said.

"The fact another car is no longer able to take part in it is irrelevant."

Dane said he was not moved by any argument in support of adding Courtney for the television broadcast or other entertainment reasons.

"I don't care about the TV show from this point of view. We have a set of rules and that is what we run to.

"So the minute we start doing this and having world wrestling federation we might as well go home.

"If they try and change the rule on the run then we will protest.

"That says to me we as a championship are willing to make it up as we go along."

HRT boss Adrian Burgess dismissed Dane's concerns.

"He is just going to waste his money. It's not my decision to put 22 into the 10, it was the stewards."